A Very Shassie XMas
by havokwreaker
Summary: Shawn and Lassiter get stranded in a mall for Christmas. Love ensues.
1. Chapter 1

A Very Shassie X-Mas

"…_and in other news, snow; yes SNOW, has been predicted for the entire Santa Barbara area. It is very uncommon for the snow clouds to move down this close to the tropics, but residents are advised to stay indoors and keep warm. Now we go to Steve, with a report on the current influx of pineapple purchases. St-,"_

Carlton Lassiter frowned as he clicked of the radio in his police car. It was shaping up to be one hell of a Christmas Eve. It was only three A.M, but the Chief had called him to investigate an alarm going off in the Santa Barbara Mall. It was probably just frozen circuitry, but the police were required to send someone down just to keep a good impression of the S.B.P.D., normally they would've sent Buzz, or even Detective O'Hara to investigate, but Buzz was in Trinity visiting relatives while O'Hara was unreachable after the Police Department's annual Christmas party. He remembered watching O'Hara having several drinks while there. What did Shawn see in her?

Lassiter shook his head for a moment. Why had he even thought of that phony psychic in a time like this? Coffee…he needed coffee is all, right? He could grab a cup at the Police Station before going to the Mall.

Carlton walked through the doors of the police department and headed into their make-shift kitchen. 'Oh, great.' He thought as he glanced at the empty coffee pot. 'Of course; who would make coffee here at three in the morning.' He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter while the coffee pot burbled. Suddenly he could hear a very familiar voice crooning some strange form of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Carlton quickly poured himself a cup of coffee and tried to hurry out of the station before he was noticed.

"LASSIE!" a very effeminate voice called out overzealously. Lassiter rolled his eyes and turned around on his heel to face the fake psychic Shawn Spencer.

"What do you want Spencer?" Lassiter sighed rubbing his temple with his free hand.

"Some of that coffee actually, thanks." Shawn smiled snatching the coffee cup out of Lassie's grip. He took a quick gulp and then handed it to an officer who happened to pass by.

"Why are you here, is what I mean." Lassiter growled, angry that his coffee had been taken away from him.

"Well, you see," Shawn began, putting an arm around Carlton's waist, ignoring the flurry of complaints that followed. "While I was out Christmas shopping yesterday, I accidentally left one of my dad's presents at one of the stores and the other gifts won't make sense unless I have the last one!" He finished distressingly. Lassiter could only imagine what the others were that would require an explanatory gift as well.

"Well what have I got to do with all of this?" Lassiter asked, pushing himself away from Shawn's arm on his waist.

"Well, I heard that you're going to investigate an alarm going off at the mall, so I'd like to tag along if you don't mind." He said walking closer to Carlton with every word. He knew that Lassiter _would_ mind, but he'd follow along anyway.

Lassiter shook his head. "No way Spencer. You're not going with me. This is a solo mission and that's final!"

-5 minutes later-

Lassiter tried to resist the urge to put Spencer's head through the windshield of his car as Shawn started up another Christmas carol. He had barely made it through Jingle Bells as it was.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Very Shassie X-Mas Part 2**

Finally the police cruiser pulled up in front of the mall's doors. Carlton pulled his suit's jacket closer, against the cold. The sun hadn't even come up yet to warm the air. Shawn let out a very loud yawn and wrapped his arms around the detective. Lassiter nearly knocked Shawn over as he disentangled himself.

"Will you cut it out!? This is very important police work!" Lassiter growled, opening the mall doors. He was already beginning to get frustrated at the psychic. "Now then, the alarm is going off in the bridal shop. It's probably just the circuitry, but stay close to me anyway." He inwardly chastised himself for giving Spencer any reason to make a lewd comment on his behalf.

It turned out that Lassiter was right. The alarm had been tripped because of ice forming on the circuitry. Nonetheless, they had to check every store on their way back, just in case.

Lassiter strained his ears as they walked through the dimly-lit halls of the establishment. Without the smooth music that played during the day, every sound appeared even more ghastly than usual. He could hear the rumbling of the heating apparatus as it sparked to life somewhere deep within the bowels of the empty shopping venue. Shawn shivered slightly out of either trepidation or cold and subconsciously moved closer to Lassiter who didn't seem to notice. Every door they approached seemed huge, covered in lurking shadows. Lassiter was half-wishing he had brought a flashlight.

After checking dozens of shops, Shawn took off ahead of Carlton. He bounced up and down excitedly, despite the eeriness of the mall.

"Lassie! Lassie, my dad's gift is in here!" he called, waving his arms franticly. Lassiter grumbled to himself as he approached the threshold of the store called . There wasn't any door to speak of, just an open showroom blocked of by a security gate. He glanced inside and saw a small, tri-angle shaped package covered in pineapple wrapping paper.

"That's it?" he groaned. "What the hell is it anyway?"

"If I told you it wouldn't make sense." He whined. "It's part of a VERY complex, psychic-ish idea that came to me one evening while I was watching Wow! Wow! Wubbzy at Gus's house."

Carlton rolled his eyes and said something along the lines of "…the hell?" He doubted if he would ever learn how the psychic's mind worked.

Pulling out a ring of janitorial keys, Lassiter unlocked the latch and slid it open, just enough so that Shawn could make it through.

"Hey Lassiter, they're having a sale on gold necklaces in aisle twelve!" he shouted, heading for the gift. Carlton shook his head and turned around to lean on the gate. Shawn frowned and stuck his tongue out at the detective's back.

"I saw that." He mumbled.

Shawn picked up the present and tiptoed back up to the gate. He smiled as he thought of something funny.

"Oh, Carlton…" he moaned in a southern feminine voice. Lassiter jumped away from the gate as if it had burned him and turned to look at Shawn who was now leaning up against the bars as if they were on a jail cell.

"Pl~ease let me go an' I might do ya' a favor sir…" he whispered sensuously rubbing his cheek against the bars.

Lassiter tried to look as angry as possible, but it did no good in hiding the blush that was creeping up his face. Even in the dimly lit hall, his countenance was visibly reddening.

"Cut that out Spencer and get out of that store!" he nearly shouted, forcing the gate open further. Shawn continued to make amorous faces as Lassiter pulled him out by his shirt collar.

"What the hell was all that about Spencer?!" Carlton yelled, pushing the psychic away from him. He didn't like the way he had been looking at him. It made him feel…odd. Shawn laughed and started heading back to the front of the mall's lobby.

"I was just messing with you detective." He chuckled, swishing his hips as he walked away.

Suddenly, a pair of strong hands spun him around, and he was inches away from Lassiter. He could feel the detective's breath on his face. He was close. Too close.

"What?" Shawn asked, trying to sound braver than he was. Carlton was easily six inches taller than him, and judging by the grip he had on Shawn's arms, he must've kept on a tight workout schedule.

"Why do you always do that Spencer?" Lassiter growled, hard blue eyes, piercing trembling green ones.

"What ever do you mean Lassie?" Shawn asked deviously, flashing that damn adorable grin of his. Lassiter tightened his grip, this was sure to leave bruises. Slowly his eyes softened, along with his grip.

"Nothing…just…forget it. Let's get out of here" he whispered, turning away from him. Shawn watched sadly as Lassiter began to walk away.

"Was it something I said?" he called after him jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood. It worked, he thought, as he heard a low chuckle resonating through the hall.

Shawn continued to think about the conversation they'd had while they approached the doors.

Why had Lassiter reacted so strangely to his fake flirting?

"Damn it!"

He jumped slightly when he heard the detective swear loudly. He glanced up ahead where Lassiter was standing. It was significantly colder now, and Shawn dearly wished he had chosen to wear something warmer than his thin polo shirt and shorts.

"What's wrong Lassie? Lassiter," he corrected after receiving a quick glare from the detective. Lassiter let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand along his face.

"Look for yourself Mr. Spencer." He pointed to the door with a frustrated growl.

Shawn cocked his head sideways to see around him.

Over five feet of snow was blocking the exit, and more was still falling.

Shawn's eyes darted around; the door frame was covered in a thick sheet of ice, along with the crevice separating the two doors.

They were snowed in.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Very Shassie X-Mas Part 3**

Chief Karen Vick of the S.B.P.D sat in her great grandmother's antique rocking chair feeding her baby. It was five A.M. and the baby had already begun to complain.

Karen's phone began to ring next to her.

"Chief Vick, Santa Barbara P.D. Who is this?" she snapped shifting her baby into her other arm.

"This is Lassiter Chief. Spencer and I are—excuse me one second." Lassiter could be heard whispering loudly, along with a very child-like voice in the background.

"..._what? No you can't talk to her…because I'm talking to her that's why. No I won't tell her you said 'Hi!'"_

"Detective Lassiter, why did you call me at this hour?" Vick sighed, playing with the baby's toes.

"Oh, well, uh…Chief, Spencer and I are snowed in at the mall downtown."

"The mall I sent you to investigate?"

"Yes ma'am that's the one, so, could you possibly send a snow-plow to dig us out Chief?" he asked hopefully.

Karen stood up, put the phone down, and walked into the baby's room to put it to bed. After a few moments, the Chief's voice came back on the phone.

"I don't know what to tell you Detective, but Santa Barbara _has_ no snow plows. I'm afraid you two are stuck there at least until tomorrow. Maybe then I could get Buzz and some of the others to help dig you out." She rubbed her tired eyes with the back of her hand. "Look, you guys are in a _mall_. You've got food, heat, and shelter. Just suck it up and wait for a few hours okay...Oh, I've gotta go, baby's crying.-*click*"

Lassiter stood dumbfounded, looking at the snow slowly building up against the doors. He was stuck here with Shawn Spencer for Christmas. Maybe even longer!

Shawn had been watching Lassiter's facial expressions while he was on the phone with the Chief. He put his index fingers to his temples and sighed.

"So we're stuck here for the Holidays huh?"

Lassiter turned around to stare sullenly at Shawn. "Should I even bother ask how you know that?" He continued to stand there, as if he was frozen to the spot. Shawn had been smiling, but seeing the utterly defeated look on Lassiter's face made him sober up. He strolled over to where Carlton stood and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, man everything's gonna be okay." He encouraged. "We've got food and stuff."

Lassiter shrugged Shawn's hand off him and walked away. He found a wall close to the door and propped himself up against it. It was incredibly cold, but it was far away from the fake psychic and his worthless encouragements.

Shawn walked past Lassiter and did the same on a parallel wall. For a while, they just sat there watching it snow.

It was getting really cold now, but Shawn didn't feel like moving. He was too busy wondering why Carlton was so against them being there _together_.

The snow was very beautiful, and Shawn soon fell into a restless sleep.

Lassiter mumbled to himself about how lazy Shawn was for falling asleep, when they were going to be rescued in a matter of moments. Denial was his way of coping with the terrifying thoughts of what could happen between the two of them while they were here. . His eyes were getting itchy, and the cold was making him even more fatigued. Soon, he was also asleep.

"_Oh…God, Shawn," Carlton moaned as a sweet warm mouth covered his length. He tangled his fingers in Shawn's hair and groaned loudly when Shawn moaned in response, causing a wave of vibration around him. His breath was coming shorter and he could feel himself coming closer to-_

Lassiter started awake, looking around him. It was just a dream?

He looked across from him, expecting to see Shawn, but he wasn't there.

Lassiter began to panic. What if Spencer heard him talk during his dream? His ex-wife had always complained about his habit of sleep talking.

He stood up and pulled his suit jacket closer to shield him from the cold. He needed to find Shawn before he got himself lost.

Wait…Why should he care if that fake psychic got lost?

"Hey Lassie!" Shawn called from behind the detective. Lassiter whipped his head around to face the psychic. Apparently, Shawn had gotten into a camping store, as he was now wearing a big blue parka, ski pants, and a toboggan hat that oddly enough looked like a pineapple.

"Spencer! Where did you get those clothes?" Lassiter asked, eyeing the green puffs atop the hat. Shawn grinned and held up the ring of keys that Lassiter had previously been holding. Carlton blushed deeply when he realized that the keys had been looped around his belt, very close to his groin.

"You're crazy…" he huffed, turning away from Shawn.

"To quote Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants," He began lifting a finger. "No, I'm warm." He grinned and began bouncing up and down laughing. He began singing another Christmas carol, and was only halfway through Frosty the Snowman, before he broke into a fit of coughing and fell silent.

"What is it now Spencer? Did you forget the rest of the song?" he scoffed turning around. His mocking laughter died in his throat when he saw that Shawn was now lying on the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Very Shassie X-Mas Part 4**

"Stop playing around Spencer!" Carlton yelled, running over to Shawn's body. He knelt down and shook him by his jacket.

"Mmm, what?" Shawn rasped, pushing Lassiter's hands away.

"How did you get on the ground Spencer?" he asked, pulling Shawn into a sitting position.

"Gravity," Shawn replied chuckling briefly before breaking into another fit of coughing. Lassiter held on to his shoulders while he shook, helping him not to fall over.

"You're shivering," Carlton murmured. Shawn must've gotten sick from being too close to the frozen door. Not to mention the fact that he'd only been wearing a t-shirt and shorts when they'd first arrived.

"I'm not shivering," Shawn grumbled. "I'm not even cold."

Lassiter's eyes widened. Shawn was displaying the first few signs of hypothermia, a very life-threatening condition. Carlton looked around. He needed to get Shawn someplace warmer.

"Come on." He ordered, pulling Shawn up.

The psychic immediately leaned against Lassiter, invading all of his previously coveted personal space.

The detective had to almost drag Shawn into a Sears store and onto a mattress he'd swiped from the bedding department.

"Awww, Lassie, I didn't think you cared…" Shawn slurred, falling back onto the soft material. Suddenly he could feel his jacket and shirt being removed. Cautiously, he gazed at Lassiter and grinned. "Couldn't wait to see me naked huh?" he chuckled, blinking slowly. Lassiter's ears reddened, but he finally removed Shawn's shirt and began working on his own.

"No, Spencer, you've got hypothermia and I need to keep you warm." He sighed, casting off his jacket. After a very confused look from Shawn, he explained further. "For hypothermia, you can't just cover up with blankets and such. If you do that, the blood will be forced into your heart and you could die."

His face became slightly pained at the thought of the psychic's death. "The only way to keep you warm without killing you is through close body contact…"he trailed off and blushed even deeper.

Shawn continued to gaze at the detective. He'd seen something in his eyes when he mentioned the possibility of death. Was it concern perhaps? Too tired to think, he began to drift off.

Lassiter quickly shook him awake and pulled him close. Gasping slightly as his skin touched the psychic's he closed his eyes. He was going to keep Shawn alive if it meant losing all of his dignity in the process. Holding Shawn in a weak one-armed hug, he pulled a blanket around them both.

Shawn was far too cold to care about dignity, and he had eventually put his head on Lassiter's shoulder.

They stayed like that for a long time, neither of them moving or talking. Lassiter had believed Shawn was asleep until a quiet voice began to talk.

" Carlton …" Shawn sighed, letting his breath ghost along the detective's neck. Lassiter steadied his own breathing before replying.

"What is it Spencer?" he grumbled a little harsher than necessary, causing a deep rumble in his chest.  
Shawn closed his eyes for a moment, as if he were trying to find a way to erase the questions he had. Finally he opened his eyes and asked;  
"Why save me Carlton ? When I always make you so angry…Why did you feel the need to keep me alive when you'd be happier if I was gone?"

Lassiter looked away from Shawn. He'd never used his actual name before. It had always been just pet names, or "Detective". Why was it than when Shawn Spencer, this arrogant fake psychic, looked at him…Why did he feel _so damn vulnerable_?

"That's not true," he sighed still looking at anything and everything but Shawn. "That's not true. I wouldn't be better off if you were gone." Lassiter was having an internal war and it nearly tore him apart. He thought about his next words carefully.

"When…my wife and I…separated, my life felt pointless. But…then you showed up.

You made my life worth living again."

Shawn was quiet. Here they were, trapped in the worse situation ever possible and yet, somehow, all of their boundaries had fallen. Lassiter had just bared his soul to him and Shawn had no idea what to say. A familiar voice in his head spoke, 'Actions speak louder than words Shawn.'

Lifting his head, Shawn took a shaking breath and placed his lips on Carlton 's.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Very Shassie X-Mas Part 5**

Carlton's eyes widened as Shawn leaned in to kiss him. What should he do? If he kissed him, what would happen afterwards? Would work be awkward? Would they be a couple? Where would it go from here?

'Oh the hell with it,' Lassiter thought and he closed the space between their mouths. An electrifying jolt shot through him as their lips collided. It was the most amazing thing he'd ever felt. Shawn's lips were soft and warm against Carlton's. It was an awkward, yet passionate kiss that was over far too soon for both of them.

Shawn smiled lazily and leaned back onto the mattress. Within seconds he was asleep again.

Lassiter rolled his eyes and stood up. 'Figures,' he thought to himself as he bent over and covered Shawn with some of the blanket's he'd managed to stockpile. Hell, Shawn probably wouldn't even remember anything when he woke up again. 'Speaking of,' he thought and glanced at his watch. It was only ten fourteen now, and it would still be a long time before they were rescued.

Shawn was still sick though, so that was his main priority. Quietly, so as not to wake the slightly snoring Shawn, Lassiter put on his shirt and crept out of the store. He should probably find some things to keep them both warm. Shivering slightly, Lassiter approached one of the malls directories. After locating the appliance store, the clothing store, and the camping store he continued on his way.

_Lassiter had his back to him. What had he done?_

"_You wanted to know why I saved you."_

_Shawn shook his head. What was going on? He looked around. Where were they?_

_They were no longer in the mall, but standing in a funeral home. They were both looking down at a coffin, but it was too dark to see inside of it. _

"_Why didn't you save __**me**__?"_

_Shawn looked back up at Lassiter. His face was gone, there was only a black, empty space left. He jumped back and tripped, falling against the coffin. His sudden weight caused the coffin to fall over, spilling out the body inside. Shawn screamed. The body was Lassiter's._

"Carlton!" Shawn yelled as he shot up out of the bed. His eyes were foggy, and he couldn't see much of anything. Strong arms wrapped around him, causing Shawn's fear to escalade. He squirmed and fought, trying to break free while his vision cleared.

"Shawn! It's me, Lassiter, calm down." The detective's strong voice pulled Shawn out of his dreaming state. He let out a sob and clutched the front of Lassiter's coat.

"It's alright Shawn. It was just a dream okay?" Carlton whispered urgently, running his fingers through Shawn's hair. His heartbeat thrummed in his ears. What had Shawn dreamt about that caused that kind of fear? It had to have been the fever that did it.

Hell, Shawn had been out for over six hours because of it.

Shawn began to look around. He found himself smiling in spite of his horrible dream. Lassiter had set up multiple heaters, a coffee pot, and he'd even brought in more clothing. As his eyes continued to scan the room, he felt his jaw drop. The detective had even set up a small Christmas tree, a few feet away from them.

Lassiter found himself holding Shawn even tighter, as he heard him laugh.

"Wow Lassie…This is awesome man."

"I figured, you know, since we're here for the Holidays and all, why not celebrate it like normal?"

Shawn looked at Carlton with a distant gleam in his eyes.

"Thanks Carlton. I really mean it." Leaning in, he quickly stole a kiss.

Lassiter held Shawn close to him for the rest of the day while they talked, slept, and kissed.

Forget what he'd said earlier. This was turning out to be one hell of a Christmas Eve.


	6. Chapter 6

**A Very Shassie X-Mas Part 6**

Lassiter stirred slowly the next morning. He'd had a long night talking to Shawn about life, love, pineapples…pretty much everything. They even talked about things that would seem trivial to others. But for the two of them it was the only thing keeping them going during the night. But at least they weren't alone.

He looked around as he pushed the blankets off of him. Glancing at his wristwatch, he saw that it was nearly ten o'clock. He looked beside him to see Shawn curled up peacefully emitting quiet snores. A loud bang caused them both to start and Shawn began fumbling around for Lassiter. The banging stopped and was replaced by the sound of many footsteps hurrying around. Carlton removed his sidearm from its holster and held it at the ready as the footsteps grew louder.

"Detective Lassiter; Shawn Spencer are you here?" a voice echoed through the halls.

Carlton let his arm relax. They were being rescued. The faint barking of dogs grew louder until a German Sheppard appeared around a corner closely followed by Buzz.

"Over here guys!!" he called over his shoulder. Flashlights gleamed everywhere, blinding Shawn who buried his face in Lassiter's chest.

Medics rushed forward and began poking and prodding, checking heart rates and securing oxygen masks. One of the medics slid a needle into Lassiter's arm, administering a quick working sedative. His eyes grew blurry as Karen Vick approached and the last thing he remembered before passing out was the Chief's voice saying.

"Merry Christmas boys; Get them into the ambulance and I'll m-"

Carlton woke slowly hearing the sounds of steady beeping and people talking. The voices hushed when he opened his eyes. It took a minute to get his bearings but soon he could make out the faces of Detective O'Hara, Buzz, Shawn's father, Gus and a few others.

He could hear the Chief talking to someone, but their voice was hard to make out. He turned his head to the source of the noise, and saw Shawn sitting up, chatting happily.

Noticing that everyone else had stopped talking, Shawn looked over and smiled at Lassiter.

"Merry Christmas Lassie." He grinned noticing that the detective's heart monitor had sped up a bit.

Lassiter maneuvered himself until he was sitting up as well. He forced himself to take on his normal, cold visage.

"Spencer," he nodded in acknowledgement.

Shawn frowned slightly and began messing with his heart rate cords.

"So I was just talking to the Chief here about our little stay at the Mall," he began grinning deviously. "And about how I got mild hypothermia that was quickly remedied by some shirtless cuddling." He flashed a smile in Lassiter's direction.

Carlton blushed slightly as Shawn told about the incident. Chuckling darkly he glanced at the psychic. "You didn't seem to mind too much." He said in a mocking tone.

Noticing the downward spiral in the conversation, the Chief began to usher everyone out of the room leaving Shawn and Lassiter alone.

Shawn glanced over toward the door as it closed and quickly climbed out of his bed and into the detective's. He placed his head on Carlton's shoulder and sighed.

"I didn't mind."

"Neither did I Shawn."

Lassiter wrapped his arms around Shawn and kissed him deeply. Leaning back, he pulled the hospital blankets over both of them and smiled as sleep began to overtake him.

Damn he loved that psychic.

**THE END**


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